Every few years, society gathers to participate in political campaigns. On the surface, they're straightforward votes for one or the other party. However, the more that these events become publicized, the more likely they are to have an air of absurdity to them. It's full of name-calling and attempts to look bigger than the other. Tom Perrotta has taken this to its ultimate extreme with one of his best novels "Election." By turning these tropes into a high school election full of petty characters, he has managed to create a perspective that is addictive and entertaining. It's amazing how much tension and humor he drags from a situation that arguably shouldn't have as high of stakes as they do. His ability to earnestly explore them is the ultimate achievement, and a big reason that this isn't just an ode to 90s-era politics, but to the hubris many of us face in an attempt to be universally accepted by others.
This isn't the first year that an election has taken place at the high school. In fact, it's an annual tradition that finds many vying for the top spot. All of the teachers know the drill by this point and it's up to them to maintain order. The only catch is that there are a handful of students with strong egos ready to pounce on the moment. At the top of the pile is Tracy Flick, whose nice exterior makes her an easy person to vote for. She needs to make sure that everyone sees her way, needing to keep everyone following her order. She is loved by everyone except one teacher, a co-narrator who ends the story by losing his job in a bout of insanity that sounds rational from how Perrotta plots it, but to the high school setting is downright absurd, creating scandal over something that shouldn't hold that much weight.
The story was penned in the shadow of the Bill Clinton sex scandal when the leader of the free world was no longer seen as an altruistic figure. It was a moment where women were trying to find validity in discourse and having trouble breaking through the murk of a society that didn't want to hear them out. While it's commented on directly, there are subplots that suggest this including the cases of a girl being sent to religious school in order to create a stronger sense of chastity. Others have affairs with teachers and others are hidden behind male candidates that lack any real depth. Everyone is at play and their success becomes important, nail-biting conflicts for the protagonist who needs to maintain order at the school. Most of all, he just doesn't want Tracy Flick to win because it would be a giant blight on his career.
It's all a bit comical and reflective of Perrotta's gift for turning the mundane into something more profound. On some level, none of this matters. The election will come and go and very few will remember the significance of the winner. And yet, there is constant interference from parties, jobs lost, and various conflicts that keep this from going according to plan. It doesn't make sense why any of this matters to the level it does, and yet Perrotta gives everyone enough plausibility to make it count. As satire, it's pitch perfect and captures the desperation that some will carry into adulthood. The fact that the pettiness of youth has such adult overlap is haunting, adding something more compelling about this approach, making one wonder if anyone is ever capable of running for office without being a little bit childish.
"Election" may be rooted too much in 90s-era politics, but the characters outshine their moment with themes that have been present for centuries. There are egos on display, a desire to win that seems irrational, but then again it's the spirit that drives one well into adulthood. How does one change this when many are fostering the behavior, encouraging small acts of corruption that only grow more sadistic as the pages build. The results are an enjoyable subversion with enough flippant humor and vindictiveness. What does one do in the journey to become the most popular person? The answer isn't to play nice, but to misdirect and find ways to get your own selfish goals achieved. The crazy thing is how well this works at paralleling real events with fictitious ideas. Not everyone ends up happy. High school never ends, and the trick is not to get caught up in the toxic side of things. Good luck.
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